What is your biggest Fu!@*&^ pet peeve about sales leaders?

Pretty simple question: what aggravates you the most about shitty leaders?

🏰 War Stories
22
SaaSam
Politicker
12
Account Executive
The assumption that being in leadership means they're a better salesman.
buckeyenation
Acclaimed Answer
0
AE
comment of the century.
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
11
Bravado's Resident Asshole
MICROMANAGING! hands down the most annoying thing ever.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
4
Rolling 20's all day
This is the WoooOOOOooorrrsstt - Jean Ralphio
ChickenDinner
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Nah, I think lack of management at all is more common than micromanaging. Lack of management all quarter leads to them realizing numbers aren't good and then they micromanage the last week of the quarter to make up for it
JustGonnaSendIt
Politicker
0
Burn Towns, Get Money
100% agree. At least with a micromanager, you can bury them in data and get them to back off.

With no management, you don't know what's hitting you until it's there.
Epictetus
Valued Contributor
0
SaaSy
This. A million times this.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
7
🦊
I've got a few. How much time you got?
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
2
Bravado's Resident Asshole
LMAO! for real.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
4
Sales Rep
Recency Bias, but when the coaching you get is "up the dials"
UserNotFound
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Hahahah- just had a big internal call where I had to educate a whole team that is presenting last and right before decision date is a strategically good decision. How people don’t understand and try to harness recency bias is beyond me.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
4
Rolling 20's all day
When they want me to cut corners just to get a quick deal or promote lying to a customer.
If you do this I WILL NOT CONTINUE TO WORK FOR YOU
jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
Aside from micromanaging, which @antiASKHOLEcovered, I'd say lack of transparency
TennisandSales
Politicker
3
Head Of Sales
When you manager tries to run your deals for you.
AutoSmiler
Arsonist
0
Account Executive
This is probably what annoys me the most^^^ on top of trying to micromanage the deal for you and provide critiques or negative feedback without asking why...
Diablo
Politicker
3
Sr. AE
I hate being micromanaged and when the managers make changes within the team every month.
LordOfWar
Tycoon
3
Blow it up
"Just get the order!" then they do zero to help deliver the order in the timeline we promised, thereby harming my rep with the client.
HappyGilmore
Politicker
2
Account Executive
Micromanaging, and not putting their words/ideas into action.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Micromanaging for the win.

Followed closely by Mr. Invisible - when you need leadership to get something done and he's not to be found.
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
I said lack of transparency, saw your comment, and realized the second point is basically the exact opposite. Yet both are true.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
They are all terrible. Different personas, but terrible.
Pachacuti
Politicker
2
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Not being “in the know”.
activity
Politicker
1
VP, Business Development
If you micromanage me, I'm out. This generally happens when sales start flat lining or things aren't going exactly to plan. You can tell a lot about how a manager handles adversity. If their first move is to micromanage a lot of times they are inexperienced but it also shows that they probably haven't been doing their job so they overcorrect.
slaydie
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Talking the big talk but then not being able to hop into the trenches with us
aenima
Celebrated Contributor
1
Principal Account Manager
Trying to help with deals when they should be working on strategy and sales enablement.

That and ending 1:1s with “let me know how I can help”
ThatNewAE
Big Shot
1
Account Executive - Mid enterprise
"How many calls did you make today?" - get the fuck out of the door please.
UserNotFound
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Failure to adapt management technique/style to the individual. It’s not that hard to look at what motivates a person and use it- instead of just assuming everyone is like you and getting mad when they aren’t.
GTMLeader
Good Citizen
1
GTM Leader
Deal A is stalled in legal, so SSL (shitty sales leader) asks, "What can you pull up?" Duh, NOTHING. Everyone is already being pushed to close as quickly as possible. With 6-9 month sales cycle, sometimes longer, I can't "pull" anyone up. And IMPHO, anybody who says they can pull someone else up isn't on top of their sales cycles and buyers' journey.
buckeyenation
Acclaimed Answer
0
AE
now this is a fucking good one. He just had to ask "what can you pull up" how about deez nuts??

Its shitty but sales leaders often become shitty baby sitters. Most are unable to translate the message from upper management (who are often so out of touch with what it takes to sell on the ground etc.) down to the reps without it sounding like complaints, threats, etc. To me it is one of the worst things about the Game.

As you point out, if I could suddenly pull a deal up, what was I doing all along with it?!

I hate desperation. No one ever got laid when they were desperate. Sales is no different.

God bless you GTMLeader - I hope the sales gods shower you with 72 extra highly qualified sales leads!!
10XQLA
Politicker
1
Medical Sales Assassin
My entire sales career 90% of leadership was in their role because of their D.O.B. and a little snow on the roof.... Never about production, very frustrating for a guy like me with my PHD... poor, hungry, and driven!!!
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
1
Account Executive
Calling people leaders when they are not. Ugh, please stop.
SticksAreUnbelievable
Valued Contributor
0
ADR (Account Development Rep) Sales Representative
I am generally happy with my management but the lack of pay transparency and changing the rules midway through pay cycles is fucking infuriating. Do whatever you want to me but do NOT mess with my money.
JustGonnaSendIt
Politicker
0
Burn Towns, Get Money
Sales Leader during Q4:

"Hey everyone, it's Q4, pull all the deals in from Q1 that you can, close as much as you can, drain that pipeline and blow out your year. Let customers know we can make the deal work if they can sign by EOY"

Same sales leader first week of Q1:

"Team, pipeline is dog-shit. Everyone is behind. I know you all just got new territories, don't have a comp plan or sales letters yet, but we need WAY more pipeline. At least 3x quota by end of Q1. Now fill out this spreadsheet about all your pipe-gen activities weekly and send to your manager"
Lexer
Catalyst
0
Sales Development Representative
I had a outbound leader that gave me shit because I didn’t book a demo for my AE because they told me they had 0 budget, “why do you care? It’s just better numbers for us just book it anyway”
26
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What's your LinkedIn pet peeve?

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What does your Sales Leadership say/do that is your biggest pet peeve?

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